I had finally made it to the American Airbase in Iraq. I had squared everything away with the Base Commander. I would catch a flight back to D.C. in a couple days, and in the meantime they'd patch me up.

You know what they say about the best laid plans.

I started to doze lightly on my cot when someone sat down on the edge of the bed. I cracked an eye open and there sat Tabitha; the Catgirl from my last jaunt in the Dreamstream that landed me in Russia.

She told me that KT was dying and in trouble and needed my help in his Dreampool.

Whoo-Boy.

I quickly agreed and put my boots back on. A moment later I was back in the dreamstream, with a competant guide this time though. No dream blindness for me.

It didn't take long to reach KT's dreampool, the outside looked dark grey and wholly uninviting compared to the other pools I had seen on the way here.

I entered his dream pool, and began walking down a long flight of stairs. I saw emaciated children playing hopscotch for points, and watched as the loser was devoured by his companions. Starving dogs circled the children waiting for their turn.

This was going to be one fucked up mission.

The dogs watched, drooling, waiting for their turn at the feast. As they stood their hungry vigil the ground cracked open and a horde of scorpions, snakes, and centipedes came out and swarmed the dog closest to them. Its pitiable whines and yelps I heard, as clearly and plainly from where I stood as if I had been standing next to the creature. It was devoured, flesh, meat, nerve, sinew and muscle stripped clean to the bone.

"All these snakes and insects, I must be in Australia." I joked to myself, trying to keep my spirits up.

I continued down the stairs, the dead world below me growing closer.

I stepped off the stairs, and every pair of eyes was upon me. Every creature turned to look at me. A, human-like, creature started "flowing" at me. Its arms and legs bent at odd angles. He grinned at me, licking his lips. "Well, well, well. Fresh meat." it said in a deranged tone. A pair of scorpions crawled up on my right foot.

I marched on. In my mind, I was repeating a mantra, saying it over and over trying to convince myself it was true. "I've dealt with worse before. They can't really hurt me. I've dealt with worse before. They can't really hurt me."

The dogs began circling me, growling hungrily. They wanted to eat me. That is a curious realization to come to. I've had people want to kill me, to rob me, to torture me, but never so acutely have I known that something has wanted to eat me before. The children stepped closer to me, looking up at me with pupiless golden eyes. "Hey Mister, wanna play?" I answered with my silence and strode past. The group of children, no, every creature there hissed in frustration, one of the children grabbed my hand while a spider climbed up inside my pants and up my leg. I refocused my mind with techniques that I learned in therapy, forcing the stress from my mind and pulling it back on track.

The spider withered and died, turning to nothing as it reached the middle of my thigh. The girl shrieked in rage as my hand slipped literally through her hand.

Ahead of me is the edge of a town with a building that looks like it might've been a Sheriff's Office in an Old West town. Buzzards with skeletal heads and glowing orbs for eyes circled over the building, yelling screeches that sounded like cars breaking hard.

I approached the Sherrif's Office and tried to peer inside while bending my mind to think of the clear blue skies over the beach of my hometown. The sun began rising in the East and many of the creatures slinked back away from the growing light. The interior of the building was pitch black and every surface mirrored.

I kindled forth a small flame of hope, that I was one step closer to finding KT and a small candle appeared in my hand. It wasn't much and it didn't provide a lot of light, but it illuminated the inside, the mirrors sending the little light bouncing around the room, casting light upon everything.

As I stepped inside, it wasn't my face I saw in the mirrors, but that of a terrified child, eyes filled with tears...but with every surface mirrored, and every surface showing me that image, trying to find the source of that image would not be easy.

I conjured forth my desire to find the child and my yearning for the Truth in general, and a large marble that was approximately half the size of my palm appeared in my hand.

I set the marble upon the flat floor, and willed it onward towards the child. At first it didn't move, then slowly it rolled straight into the wall, tapping the glass mirror right at where the child's feet would be, if his reflection were real. It bounces off this wall, rolling faster across the room, and bounces off another mirror the same way... Picking up speed, it practically flies across the room. As it hit a third mirror, the mirror shatters but the "mirror image" was left behind.

I raced over to where the mirror shattered. "Hey kiddo, how are you holding up?" I asked him. He cowered from me, almost taking a step back but stopped himself. I was suddenly aware that his other images had all stopped mimicking him to watch him--and me--with eager anticipation.

I produced a chocolate bar from one of my pockets and unwrapped it, gingerly offering it to the terrified child. "Want some?" I queried as I snapped off a piece and took a bite. He blinked slowly, watching as I ate the piece I'd broken off. He held up a trembling hand and slowly took the rest of the bar from my hand. Timidly, he inspected it, watching me out of the corners of his eyes as he did so, and finally tastes it. When the first bite failed to kill him, he ever so slowly relaxed as he ate the rest. (I'd like to take a moment here to thank Ron for that piece of advice about Children and Chocolate Bars.)

I waited for the child to finish eating and said to him, "I'm looking for a friend of mine who is in trouble. Do you know where he is?"

He nodded softly. With the sound of a rattlesnake, the other images stepped out of the mirror, moving to surround us. They grinned with twisted sharp teeth. I picked the child up with one arm and began to focus my feelings and thoughts once again. I forged my emotions and feelings together into a blade. Anger at the way things are. Hope that they will be better. Determination to make things right. And the love for a dear friend. A sword formed in my hands, shaped and twisted into the form of Claw's Dragon-saber, the steel blade glowed a brilliant blue. "C'mon Kid, we're leaving." I said.

Something held the creatures that came out of the mirrors at bay, I don't know what it was though.

The door, instead of looking out on a small town, looked out upon Oblivion in the truest sense of the word. There is nothing outside save a footpath made of a very thin layer of dirt.

"I'm not sure where I'm going." I said to the child, "So you gotta tell me." The kid squirmed and whimpered trying to get me to set him down. He showed me his tongue which had been more than half cut out. "I'm so sorry." I told him, "Stay close if you insist on walking" then set him down. When I did, he clung to my pants leg and tugged me along, ever forward, down the narrow dirt path. Eventually the path turned to a set of stairs. I heard the sound of fluttering and a flock of eye balls came at us out of the darkness, flitting around us, watching us.

"You want to know about me!?" I challenged them. I showed them the Truth, unshaded, unblemished, in all its Terrible Totality. Everything that I was and am I showed them, and I saw it myself, without the natural barriers that we erect around those things we don't admit even to ourselves. The eye-creatures screeched horribly and flew off in the direction I'd come from. Glancing back to watch them flee, I saw hundreds of different paths that twisted off into infinity and nothingness. There was only ever one path ahead of me, but whenever I looked back there were infinite tracks to take.

I continued ahead with the child, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. The child moved faster and faster, urgently pulling me along. I saw the path was ending soon at a large platform and in the distance I saw Kon-Thaak's crumpled form lying on the ground. A figure in black robes stood over KT's corpse. And there was Nightmare Ron, digging through a large box.

"What the fuck are you doing here Shithead!?" I addressed Evil Ron. He jumped up at that, looking up and frowning then smirking. The child cowered behind me. "You're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy..." The path in front of me dropped away into nothing. I barely stopped myself in time to keep from dropping away with it. "You're not worthy of my attentions," he says, going back to the box. The robed figure's hood lifted slightly; I could feel its invisible eyes fixate on me...

The creature in the hood turned his gaze at me. The scene changed and I found myself back in the desert. Before me appeared the Spectres of my past, the men in my squad who died when I had lived. "NO!" I wailed. "You're dead! You're all dead!" "And you let us die!" accused the Spectre of my old Squad Leader. "You saved yourself and let us die!" they accused in one voice. The images of my squadmates, my brothers in arms, the men whom I had considered my closest family, those years ago, chanted accusations. In my eyes, their forms flickered between towering, imposing figures and the twisted, dessicated husks that were left after that Thing had finished with them. "Its not true!" I cried. Tears streamed down my face. "I fought to save you all! We all did what we were trained to do!." "And it killed us!" they cried in unison. "You saved yourself though!" "I didn't think to, to, I..." a stammered answer was all I could offer. Chains of Guilt and Sorrow began appearing, link by link around me. Weighing me down. The sword I had forged earlier fell from my hands and evaporated upon the Desert Sand. Link by Link, the chains grew, the weights of this burden appeared every time the Spectres spoke or made an accusation. Then something unexpected happened. Kon-Thaak stirred.

"Begone Spirits." he started in a half-hearted voice. "This man did nothing to you." "He tried to save you, it was luck or a twist of fortune that the Thing tried to kill him last." Kon-Thaak took unsteadily to his feet. The chains that had weighed Bert down, started breaking, one link at a time. "None of you figured out how to save yourselves or eachother. Don't blame this man because you all failed together." The links of chain were breaking faster now. "I gave my arm to kill that thing! To avenge you! To make sure it never killed anything ever again! I wasn't trying to save my own life, I was avenging yours!" I exclaimed, taking to my feet, the remaining chain shattered in a cloud of shrapnel.

The Spectres evaporated. The hooded figure refixed his gaze upon Kon-Thaak and in my eyes I reappeared on the platform. "I'm no good in life, only in death." Kon-Thaak says quietly and starts trudging to the edge of the platform. "KT! No!" I yelled, and raceed after the druid. A few steps from the edge, I caught up, slid to a stop and took KT's legs out from under him. "You're not allowed to die yet! You have a family! People who love you! You've done too much good!" Kon-Thaak fought me, scrambling away, clawing, trying to get back towards the edge of the platform. "Get off! I've already made up my mind! I'm wrong more than half the time, my contacts couldn't save Gabrielle from her prison, I failed to find that girl, and now she's DEAD! I--" I barely managed to grab KT by an ankle as he tried again to dive for the edge, suffering several kicks to the chin for my efforts. "Damnit KT! I didn't march through your mind this far just for you to kill yourself!" I yelled.

"Bert?" Kon-Thaak finally realized who had been there all this time. KT broke into tears "I--I can't do this!" he wails. "I can't take anymore!" "Bullshit!" I answered, "So long as you're alive, there isn't any problem that can't be fixed. Plus, your family is going to miss you. Lex has been at your side for days now, non-stop. She fought Mr. Asshole to keep him from you! After spending days hiding in Russia, then crossing the deserts of Afghanistan and Iraq, I entered the Dreamstream to come save your ass, and I'm sure as hell not going to let you die now! And you're far from worthless, you're one of the wisest and bravest people I know! You're better than this! I know it and you know it!" "I...Lex...? But...I..." KT replies. "People are only worried about you because you're being a real stupid fuck right now with all this Woe-is-Me, Linkin Park ANGST! bullshit!"

KT fell silent, looked down at his hands as a dark aura slowly became visible around him... I realized a moment later it'd been there the entire time, but in the darkness of the area, it was practically invisible. There was light, now, light from the flames of a falling meteor from above...

KT narrowed his eyes, watching the dancing black aura around his hands. "You're right. Damning myself has made me far more worthless than my failures have. I can hear Lex's voice, now... How long...has she been calling, and I couldn't hear...?" He narrowed his eyes, and a wind whipped through the dreamscape.

He turns and faces the black-robed figure, who was stepping backwards, now. "You... Where is the nightmare who 'hired' you?" When the figure doesn't respond immediately, KT lifts a hand, flames dancing around it. "I will falter no more... Tell me where the nightmare has gone--"

He stops, as the child who had helped me before tugs on the leg of KT's black trench coat. KT blinked, looking down, and then over at me... "Bert... I'm going to be waking up soon. Get yourself out of here before that happens. Thank you."

Getting out was a lot easier than getting in. Having successfully rescued KT and having dealt with my own demons, I was feeling light as a feater. Wings sprouted from my back, and in no time at all, it seemed, I was back at the staircase where I had entered. Sucessfully re-entering the Dreamstream and leaving KT's Dreampool, I met Tabitha outside; she had been waiting for me.

"Ready to return home?" she asked. "Almost, I just have one quick stop to make."

And that about wraps it up.

Unless someone wants to adopt a three-footed bunny, think Molly would want it Ben?

I'm pretty sure all the I's and Me's refer to myself and all the He's refer to KT and any Bert's were spoken by KT.

Ok, ok, there was one instance where I referred to myself in the third person. So shoot me

After what i just went through, you don't have anything big enough to scare me right now

Hey Bert, glad to see you & KT alive & well; as well as could be I suppose.

Molly saw your post about a three legged bunny...now you have to deliver pal.

Welcome back buddy.

Well, I'm in D.C. Not sure where exactly, hmm, let me find my car and if you're still in D.C. I'll meet you at the hospital where KT is. Which reminds me, I still need some holes tended to.

Bert_the_Turtle wrote:Ok, ok, there was one instance where I referred to myself in the third person. So shoot me

Good thing you are not in Russia and saying stuff like that

Holister wrote:Hey Bert, glad to see you & KT alive & well; as well as could be I suppose.

Molly saw your post about a three legged bunny...now you have to deliver pal.

Welcome back buddy.

Good work and glad that you have returned alright.

By the way, in the next few days I may be sending you some questions about your time with the old lady. Something...interesting...seems to have developed from that brief period of time.

Bert_the_Turtle wrote:Well, I'm in D.C. Not sure where exactly, hmm, let me find my car and if you're still in D.C. I'll meet you at the hospital where KT is. Which reminds me, I still need some holes tended to.

Good thing I understand the context in which this message was written

Bert_the_Turtle wrote:After what i just went through, you don't have anything big enough to scare me right now

It aint the size of the gun, it's where you place your shots.

Very true.
But speaking of pure intimidation factor, size does matter.

maybe I do not know the context of this conversation?!

Bert_the_Turtle wrote:Very true.
But speaking of pure intimidation factor, size does matter.

I've never had a problem overawing the opposition into surrender . . . but you need to handle powerful weapons like that properly or they just get in the way.

Very true. Remind me to tell the story of My, a Demon, and my Cannon some day.

Kolya wrote:maybe I do not know the context of this conversation?!

We're discussing weaponry. What did you think?

bert... thanks again. good to know that wasn't just a good dream.

ive got asshole trapped. ill exlan more later. hurts to more still. need more mophine.

You're welcome KT. Now you get better fast so your wife will stop yelling at everyone on the same floor as you.

Slap him around some for me, too.

Im glad you are better and everyone is back, now that you are all here I have a very important question. Are these any of your socks?

Any of them have a golden toe or a green stripe? Those might be mine.

It does sound like ya'll had a really wild weekend there Bert ol' buddy. Things were pretty quiet round here. Found the girl's body, her name was Hannah by the way); got attacked by some shadow thing,
chased down a ghost; tryed to locate a Brain Burrower that got away; discoved a club of vampires in DC; went on a date with Celeste.

Anything new with you since getting back?

Nothing much. Still need to get Shotgun training from Ron.
Gotta get that Bunny for Molly to you.